Lighter



June 28, 1932. HOLTZMAN 1,86%73 LIGHTER Filed Feb. 5, 1929 2 Sheets-$heet 1 INVENTOR June 28; 1932. HQLTZMAN 1,864,732

LIGHTER Filed Feb. 5. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented June as, 1932 JOHN HOLTNZM'LAYNIIZ'OFF'NEW YORK, N. Y. i

' LIGHTER Application filed February 5, 1929. Serial No. 337,567.

This invention relates to cigar and cigarette lighters of the type designed to be jearried in the pocket ofthe user onto be mounted on a stand for use on a table orthe like."

6 My invention contemplates'the provision of-simple and efficient means for automatical- 1y uncapping the wick of the lighter 'an'dfor operating the sparking wheel to produce a spark, said meansj' being operated with a 19 minimum amount of effort on the part ofthe user and the construction' thereof being such that new be depended upon to function.

The various objects of my invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which,

' Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one form of my improved lighter. J

Fig. 2 is a front view and partial vertical section thereof, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. j

Fig. 3 is a similar view and section, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the same, taken on the line 4' l of Fig. 2.

:5 Fig. 5 is a top plan View of another'modi-v tied. form of my improved lighter.

Fig. Gis a front view and partial vertical section of the same, taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. i

Fig. 7 is apartial vertical section of the same, taken on the line 7-,? of Fig; 5.

Fig.8 is a horizontal section of the same, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 9 is a top plan view and partial horizontal section, taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

In that practical embodiment of my invention which I have illustrated by way of example, a casing, container or support 10 of the usual type is provided with a top 11, and a bottom 12. The usual screw 1 1 is provided in the bottom 12 for closing the opening in said bottom, through which opening liquid 7 may be inserted into the casing.

Above the top-of the casing, I provide a sparking wheel having suitable teeth cut therein in a manner well known in the art and which need not therefore be described in de tail. Said wheel 30 engages the pyrophoric cylinder 28 and on the rotation thereof in the thereto.

proper direction, abrades said cylinder and throws ashower of sparkstowards the wick 31 to. ignite said wick when thesnutfing elemerit therefor has been automatically removed in a manner soon to be described.

The pyrophoric cylinder '28 s supported by the tube 27 1n the usual manner, being forced into constant engagement .with the abradingl wheelSO as by means of a spring 32 confined between the cylinder '28 "and the adjusting screw 33 in the other end of the tube 27.

For supporting thetube 27, anysuitable means may be provided such as for instance, the perforated support 34 mounted upon or secured to the top 11.

The wick 31 is normally covered as by meansof the snufiing cap 38 secured to the preferably box-like snufiing frame 39 at one end of the snuiier rod, which at the other end. is pivoted as at 41. To pivotallysupport the snufler rod, I provide the upstanding member 42, illustrated as in the form of a slotted post, and thereby provided with sides arranged on each side of the slot of said member and spaced apart. snutler rod is arranged between the sides of 1 said upstanding member 42'and pivoted In the normal position of the snufiing rod shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the plunger 48, normally. pressed upwardly by the compression spring 49 in the upstanding member 42, engages the side 45 and maintains the snufling member in said normal position.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, I have there shown the operating mechanism for the abrading wheel 30 arranged in the compartment 60 near the upper end of the casing 10 and formed by the insertion of the horizontally arranged partition 61 in said easing. In this form of my invention, the tube 27 and the support 34.- carrying' said tube and secured thereto. together with the other parts carried by said tube, are movable bodily to produce the sparks. ly in Fig. the support 34-, is arranged to slide on the top 11 of the casing, an extension 62 on said support passing through the slot 63 in the topand'being secured to one end as at 64 to tljie'sli de 65. The abrading wheel 30 The end 4-3 of-the" 1e As shown particular- 96 v is supported between the upper and lower arms of the tube 27, being secured to a substantially upright shaft as 66, pivotally sup ported in the arms at its upper end and at its lower end being pivoted as at 67 to the slide 65. The rack 68 meshes with the pinion 69 secured to the shaft 66, whereby reciprocation of said slide causes rotation of the abrading wheel 30.

A suitable slot as 70 is formed in the top 11 to allow the shaft 66 to pass therethrough and to limit the reciprocatory movement of the operating mechanism just described. The head of the screw 33 is made of sufficiently large diameter to enable it to be engaged and pressed by a finger of the user, and thereby to operate the parts by direct manual pressure horizontally upon the screw, the head of which consequently serves as a finger piece.

It will be seen that upon sliding the tube 27 toward the left as for instance, by pressing manually upon the screw 33, the tube 27, support 34, slide 65, shaft 66 and abrading wheel 30 are all carried to the left and the wheel 30 rotated about the shaft 66 to abrade the pyrophoric cylinder 28 and to throw a shower of sparks toward the wick 31. For retracting the operating mechanism automatically, a suitable spring may be provided.

I have shown the spring 71 for this purpose. Said spring. as illustrated, is coiled about the extension 62, one end 72 being passed through a suitable hole in said extension and the other. end abutting against a suitable stop pin 73 upstanding from the partition 61. Movement of the operation mechanism toward the left tensions said spring so that on the release of said mechanism, the spring operates to return said mechanism to its initial position.

It will be understood that means should be provided for uncapping the wick 31 simultaneously with the projection of igniting sparks. This. I accomplish by providing the snuffer member 74 with a cam projection 75 engaged by the pin 76 projecting from the support 34. (in movement of said support together with the remainder of the operating mechanism, the pin 7 6 rotates the cam 75 and consequently rotates the snufiing member 74 about its pivot 41 to uncap the wick. At this time, the plunger 48 pressed by the spring 49 is brought from its engagement with the side 45 of the snufiing member to the side 44 and thereby serves to complete the rotation of said snuffing member and to maintain said member in its upright or uncapped position.

As illustrated in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive, the tube 27 and its support 34 together with the parts carried thereby are stationary during the operation of the device.

I have. however, provided a separate reciprocatory rack 80 projecting through the slot 81 in the casing top 11 and guided in its reciprocatory movement by said slot. Moveeeaasa ment of the rack 80 is obtained when released for operation as will be hereinafter described, through the compression spring 82 abutting at one end against the casing and inserted into a suitable spring retaining hole 83 in the extension 84 of the rack. At its left end, the extension 84 carries the ratchet rack 85 pivotally secured thereto as at 86 and pressed by the spring 87 toward the pinion 88 on the abrading wheel shaft 89. Loosely mounted on said shaft and preferably above the casing top 11 so as to be exposed for operation by the thumb of the user, is the mutilated thumb wheel 90 which is urged by the coil spring 91 toward the locking position indicated in Fig. 9. One end of said spring is held by the casing top 11 while the other end of said spring engages the finger-piece or thumb wheel 90.

For maintaining the various parts in their normal or inoperative positions indicated in the figures, the snuffing frame 39 is provided with a spring hook extension 93 at its left end terminating in the hook 94 which is more or less flexible and adapted to engage the under face of the thumb wheel 90. The end 43 of the snuifer member 92 is provided with a gear segment 95 meshing with the rack'80 so that as said rack is reciprocated, the snuffer member 92 is rotated about its pivot 41.

The operation of this form of my invention is as follows:

lVhen it is desired to obtain a light, the thumb wheel 90 is rotated about the shaft 89 until the mutilated portion thereof is disposed above the hook 94 whereby said hook is released and allows the spring 82 to push the rack 80, the extension 84 and the ratchet rack 85 carried thereby toward the left.

Such movement of the rack 80 rotates the snufl ing member 92 to uncap the wick and simultaneously rotates the shaft 89 through the ratchet pinion 88 and therethrough the abrading wheel 30 to throw a shower of sparks upon the wick 31 to ignite the wick.

To extinguish the light, the snuffer member 92 is rotated in a counter-clock-wise direction about its pivot 41 thereby moving the rack 80 and the parts connected thereto toward the right and compressing the spring 82. The hook member 93 is sufficiently yieldable to allow the book 94 to pass by the periphery of the thumb wheel 90, and underneath said wheel, it being understood that said wheel on its release by the thumb of the user is rotated back to its initial position indicated in Fig. 9 by the spring 91.

It will also be understood that on the movement toward the right of the rack 85, the ratchet teeth of said rack slip over the ratchet teeth of the pinion 88 without causing rotation of the shaft 89 since said rack yields about its pivot 86 against the action of the spring 87.

Itwill be understood that while I have shown various embodiments of my invenan abrading wheel and pyro tion, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the specific structure shown and described since I intend to claim my invention as broadly as may be permitted by the state of the prior art and the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a lighter, acasing having a slot in the top thereof, sparkproducing means mounted on the top of the casing including horic material, a partition in said casing orming a compartment therein, a reciprocatory member in said compartment operatively connected to said wheel for rotating the Wheel, a snuffer element on the top of the casing, an element on thetop of the casing adapted to support and to urge the pyrophoric material into contact with the wheel, a stationary post extending above the casing to which the snutfer element is pivoted to swing in a vertical plane relatively to the post, an upstanding member on the reciprocatory member passing through the slot and having means for engaging and rotating said snuffer element about the post on the movement of the reciprocatory member, and adapted to move the reciprocatory member on the manual actuation of a sejecting through the casing lected one of said elements in a given 1- rection.

2. In a lighter, a casing, a partition in the interior of said casing, forming a compartment therein, spark producing means on the top of the casing including an abrading wheel, a shaft carrying said wheel and pro- 7 top into said compartment, a toothed rotatable member on said shaft and in said compartment, a reciprocatory toothed member in said compartment engaging the rotatable member, a spring acting on the reciprocatory member to move it in one direction, a post extending above the top of the casing, a snuffer member pivoted to said post, and an extension on said reciprocating member adapted to engage the snuifer member for rotating said snufler member about the post on the movement of the reciprocatory member in a given direction.

3. In a lighter, a casing having a pair of slots in the to thereof, a shaft projecting through one o the slots, an abrading wheel at one end of the shaft, a tube on top of the casing carrying said shaft and said wheel, a postcarrying said tube projecting through the other slot of the casing, a slide in the casing connecting said shaft and said post, a pinion on said shaft, and a stationary rack meshing with said pinion and adapted to rotate said wheel on the movement of said tube.

4. In a lighter, a casing, a snufler member above the top of the casing, a post on the casing pivotally supporting the member, a projection on said member, a slidable tube 'top of the casing,

on the top of the casing, pivoted to said tube, a pin projecting from said tube and adapted to engage said projection to rotate the snuffer member on the sliding of the tube, a support for the tube extending into the casing, and a rack and pinion adapted to rotate the wheel on the sliding of said tube.

5. In a lighter, a casing, a horizontal partition in the casing and near the top thereof forming an upper compartment in the casing, an abrading wheel above the top of the casing, an element on the top of the casing adapted to urge a pyrophoric block into contact with the wheel, a substantially upright shaft for the wheel extending through the top of the casing into said compartment, a pinion on said shaft in said compartment, amok in said compartment engaging said pinion, said rack and pinion being relatively slidable, a spring for imparting relative movement to said rack and pinion in one direction, and a snuffer element, terminating in a hollow snuifer ca and pivoted above the top of the casing or movement in a vertical plane toward and from the top of the casing on the relative movement of the rack and pinion, the relative movement of the rack and pinion in the other direction being accomplished by the manual operation of one of said elements.

6. In a lighter, a casing comprising a lower container part and an upper spark-mechanism supporting part, a horizontal partition in said casing separating said parts, said lower part being adapted to receive combustible material, an upright shaft supported in said upper part and projecting above the top of the casing, an abrading wheel at the upper end of said shaft, a pinion near the lower end of the shaft, a horizontally movable finger-piece member of less length than the width of the casing, slidably mounted above the top of the casing, and movable along said top and being arranged at all times so that its ends are inside of the periphery of said top, a member extending downwardly from the finger-piece member into the upper part for guiding said fingerpiece member to move in a substantially straight line, a wick projecting through the a snuifer member above the top of the casing, a snuffer cap arranged normally to cover the abrading wheel and the Wick, a supporting member upstanding above the top of the casing, and having spaced vertical sides between which the end of the snuffer member is pivoted, a spring for said snuffer member, a rack and pinion interposed between the finger-piece member and the abrading wheel to turn the abrading wheel and operative immediately upon the application of manual pressure to the finger-piece member, and a pair of relatively movable guiding and inter-engaging elements on the tinan abrading wheel 'ger-piece member and-the snufi'er' member for swinging the snutler member on the actuation of the finge'npiece member, thereby si multaneously uncapping the wick and rotat-' ing the brading wheel to light the wick.

7. In a lighter, a casing, spark-producing means mounted above the top of the casing, including an abradingwheel, a reciprocatory inember above the top of the casing, a rack below the reciprocatory member operatively connected to\the abrading wheel for rotatingthe wheel on the movement of the reciprocatory member, a snufler member above the top of the casing, a support for the snailer member extending above the top of the casing and having spaced sides between which the snufter member is pivoted. and an extension on the reciprocatory member adapted to engage the snuffer member for rotating the snufler member about the support on'the movement of the reciproc-atory member.

8. In a lighter, a casing, spark-generating mechanism abovethe top thereof, a wick extending through the top of the casing, said mechanism including an abrading wheel above the top of the casing. a block of pyrophoric material 'yieldably supported against said'wheel. a shaft for the wheel, a toothed wheel on the shaft, a toothed rack substantially enclosed by the walls of the upper part of the casing. and being inoperative engagement with the toothed wheel, a movable finger-piece member above the top of the casing. a member extending downwardly relatively to the movable member into the upper part of the casing, and connected to said shaft, said movable member being arranged for movement within the periphery of the top of the casing, a spring-pressed snutl'er member mounted independently of the abrading wheel and in direct engagement with the movable member exteriorly of the casing, a. support extending above the top of the casing and having spaced sides between which the snutter member is pivoted, and means on the snuffer member normally arranged above and completely covering the abrading wheel.

9. In a lighter, a casing of rectangular outline. comprising a lower compartment and an upper compartment. said lower compartment adapted to befi lled with combustible material, a wick extending from said lower compartment through said upper compartment, spark-generating mechanism mounted on one of the walls of said upper compartment. said mechanism including an abrading wheel, a toothed wheel coaxially mounted withsaid abrading wheel. a toothed rack enclosed by said upper compartment and in operative engagement with said toothed wheel. annovable finger-piece member ex-" posed above the top of the casing and having one end thereof arranged substantially in alignment with one edge of the casing and guided for such movement that said end moves away from said edge in its operative direction, and moves at all times in a space insideof the peripheral edges of the casing top, said finger-piecemember being adapted to cause relative movement of said rack and said toothed wheel, and a snuli'er member having a wick cap thereon pivotally mounted independently of the'wheel on a horizontal axis on a wall of said upper compartment and arranged normally to cover the wheel and the wick,v said finger-piece member when reciproc'ated being arranged to swing the snulfor on its pivot in a vertical plane and to simultaneously rotate the abrading wheel to light the wick. r r

h 10. In a lighter, a casing an abrading wheel above the top of the casing, a pinion in the interior of the casing operatively connected to said wheel. a first slidable rack in vthe casing adapted to rotate the wheel on movement thereof in one direction. a second rack extending through the top of the casing operatively connected to the first rack for movement therewith. a pivoted snuiler member above the top ofthe casing, and a gear segment on said snufl'er member engaging said second rack for rotating the snuffer member on the movement of said racks.

11. In a lighter, a casing of substantially rectangular outline a casing top seeur ed,.-to the upper edges of the casing and having an opening therein intermediate of the sides of the casing, an upstanding member on said top 'havin s )accd sides a wick i'ro'ectim above P 7 H the casing. a snulfer cap for said wick, a cap carrying member extending across the casing and carrying said cap near one end thereof and having the other end thereof inserted between said spaced sides, a pin passing through said sides and the cap. member for pivotally supporting said member on the upstanding section, a member manually movable horizontally and exposed above the top of the casing and extending acro s the casing, and provided with a projection passing into the casing through the opening thereof, an abrading wheel shaft extending above the top of the casing. a pinion on said shaft, an abrading wheel on said shaft, a rack within the casing adapted to engage said pinion for rotating the abrading wheel during the initial part as well as during the final part of the movement of the manually movable member in its operative direction, a torsion spring for returning the manually movable member to its normal initial position. a curved cam surface on one of said members and a pin cooperating with said surface on the other of said members to swing the cap carrying member about its pivot on the nmvemeut of the movable member in its operative direction.

12. In a lighter, a casing having aslot inthe top thereof, spark producing means on the top of the casing including an abrading wheel, a supportingelement adapted to urge a block of pyrophoric material into contact with the wheel, a partition in said casing forming a compartment therein, a snuffer element on the top of the casing, a hollow snufier' cap at one end of the snuffer element, a stationary post upstanding from the top of the casing and secured to the top above said compartment, said post having a vertical open slot therein forming laterally spaced sides on the post between which the other end of the snuifer element isarranged, a horizontal pin passing through said sides of the post and through said other end of the snuffer element to pivotally secure said element to the post for swinging movement in a vertical plane toward and from the top of the casing, an upright shaft for the abrading wheel extending into the compartment, a pinion at the lower end of the shaft, a, reciprocating member arranged within and enclosed by the compartment, means cooperating with the pinion to rotate the wheel on the movement of said reciprocatory member, means for swinging the snufi'er element about the pin, including an extension on'the reciprocatory member passing upwardly through the slot of the casing and provided with means adapted to engage a projecting part of the snutfer element, and a spring urging the reciprocating member in one direction, said reciprocating member being movable in the other direction by the manual operation movement of one of said elements.

13. A pyrophoric sparking device comprising a frame having a guide slot therein, a spark producing element rotatably mounted in said frame, a reciprocating member having a finger piece at one of its ends arranged to be moved in said frame in a straight line path, a bodily movable shaft passing through and guided by the slot of said frame, a pinion fastened to said shaft, gear means associated with said pinion for rotating said spark producing element, a spring in the device connecting the frame and the reciprocating member, said member adapted to be actuated by manual pressure applied to the finger piece against the action of the spring for moving said pinion and shaft bodily in the direction of the edges of the slot to rotate said spark producing element, directly, by the manual pressure applied to said reciprocating member, said spring being arranged to move said member in the opposite'direction when the finger piece is released'of; the manual pressure.

14. In a spark-producing device, a casing having a slot therein, an abrading wheel, a pyrophoric block urged into contact with the wheel, a shaft for the wheel, .a ratchet wheel on said shaft arranged within the casing, a ratchet rack in the casing engaging said ratchet wheel, said rack being mounted for combined oscillatory and reciprocatory movement relatively to the ratchet wheel, a spring adapted to move said rack and ratchet wheel in one direction, and means to exert force upon the spring to storeenergy therein for operating the rack including a member having a part thereof arranged within the casing and operatively connected to the spring and havinganother part thereof extending through the slot and outside of the casing and adapted to be moved to energize thespring.

15. In a spark-producing device, a casing provided with a slot, a ratchet wheel within the casing, an abrading wheel, a shaft to which said wheels are fixed, said shaft being mounted in thecasing, a block of pyrophoric material yieldingly pressed against the abrading Wheel whereby rotation of said abrading wheel produces sparks, a rack arranged for oscillatory and reciproeatory movement within the casing and provided with ratchet teeth normally spring-pressed into engagement with the ratchet wheel, said rack being adapted to rotate the ratchet wheel on movement in one direction and thereby to rotate the abrading wheel, and being inoperative to rotate said wheels on the movement of the rack in the opposite direction, and rack operating means passing through the slot and having part thereof arranged within the casing and having part thereof outside of the casing including a spring within the casing, and a pivoted lever arranged to exert force upon the spring when swung about its pivot in a given directioz'i'and thereby to store sufficient energy in said spring to actuate the rack.

JOHN HULTZMAN. 

